Colts re-sign CB T.J. Carrie, taking Saints free agent target off the market

Take another piece off the board. The Saints hosted cornerback T.J. Carrie for a free agent visit, but the 7-year NFL veteran is re-signing with the the Colts after weighing offers from New Orleans and the Buffalo Bills. Carrie was an important backup on defense and asset on special teams, and he’ll get another shot at competing for a starting job in Indianapolis after playing well there in 2020.

It’s a tough miss for the Saints, who haven’t found a real No. 2 cornerback after releasing Janoris Jenkins from his contract in March. Right now, their opening-day corners would be Marshon Lattimore on one side and either P.J. Williams or Patrick Robinson on the other. Per Pro Football Focus, Williams has logged 327 snaps at corner (outside the slot, where C.J. Gardner-Johnson dominates) over the last two years, while Robinson has seen just 229. That’s fewer reps combined than Jenkins totaled in 2020 alone (757).

This year’s NFL draft has a strong crop of rookie options, but there’s no guarantee the Saints will have the right player available once they’re on the clock. Potential first round prospects who could be available at the No. 28 pick include Virginia Tech corner Caleb Farley, Northwestern cover man Greg Newsome II, and Florida State stud Asante Samuel Jr.

At this point, it feels like they may wait until after the draft to address the position. Another free agent on their radar has been Richard Sherman, who anticipates a deal in early May once teams have made their draft selections. If the Saints can’t add a promising prospect, they could turn to Sherman or other available veterans like Casey Heyward, Steven Nelson, Gareon Conley, Josh Norman, or Darqueze Dennard.

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30 mock drafts link Saints to 14 different first-round prospects